A Michigan court has ordered Toyota’s two top-ranking American executives to appear for deposition on March 11-12, 2010, in a Troy, Michigan wrongful death case.
The case concerns a 2005 Toyota Camry that surged from 25 to 80 mph on a residential street in Flint, Michigan, killing the vehicle’s driver. Attorneys for the victim’s family reqested the depositions of Yoshi Inaba, the chairman of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., and Jim Lentz, the unit’s president and chief operating officer. Toyota’s attorneys resisted making the executives available, arguing that lower level employees could provide the relevant information. Judge Archie Hayman of the Genesee County Circuit Court disagreed, ordering Messrs. Inaba and Lentz to appear on Thursday and Friday.
Both Inaba and Lentz testified before congressional committees in recent weeks. They will likely be cross-examined regarding the substance of their congressional testimony. It will be interesting to see whether either executive pleads the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions about Toyota’s defective parts and recalls, as more and more commentators speculate that criminal charges against Toyota executives could be forthcoming.
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